Cable-grip



Patented Mar. 1, 1892'.

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A. H. DE CAMP.

CABLE GRIP.'`

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UNITED ASTATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED H. DE CAMP, OF BOONTON, NEV JERSEY.

CABLE-GRIP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 469,909, dated March 1, 1892-.

v Application filed October 15, 1890- Serial No. 368,249. (No model.)

economical and safe cable-grip for tramway-` cars.

In the following description reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in

which like letters represent similar parts inl the several figures.

Figure l is a front elevation showing the grip mounted upon a tramway-car. Fig. 2 is also a front elevation showing the positionl of the parts when in position to receive the cable. Fig. 3 is a front view of a portion of the device, showing more particularly certain details of construction.v Fig. 4: is a side elevation showing the grip mounted upon a car and an arrangement above for putting the same in action. Fig. 5 is a plan showing a device laid in the track at the terminals to throw the grip out of action and disengage the hauling-cable. Fig. 6 is a top view of the grip, showing the position of various parts in gripping relation.

This grip is preferably applied to cars similar to that shown in front view in Figs. l and 2 and side view in Fig. et, being practically the same as shown and described in my applica" tion for United States Letters Patent, Serial- No. 349,468, and for which certain claims were In Fig. ].,A represents the body of the car, A A wheels secured thereto, adapted for the rails of a suspended tramway, and A AH the wheels mounted at the bottom adapted to supporting the car upon ground-rails.

B B in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 is preferably a piece of angle-iron, one leg` of which is secured to the car and the other leg B of which projects, Fig. 3, and is perforated in certain parts, Fig. 6, to permit the passage of certain of the working parts of the grip.

The upright bars C, Figs. l, 2, 3, 4, and 6, pass through the projecting part of the angleiron B and are secured below to the upright leg of the same B or to the car-body, as the case may be, by the screw-bolts c or their i equivalent.

, ends by rivets e.

The set-screws c', Figs. l and G, screwing into the projection B to and against the uprights C, prevent the said uprights from moving forward toward the center.

The wedges D, Figs. l, 2, 3, and 6, are placed in the same slots in B as the u prights C, tilling the space between the uprights and the end of the slot. The slots for C C in the plate B are extended somewhat toward the center beyond the normal position of the uprights, the boundary of the slot to the right (at the left in Fig. 6) being indicated by the dotted line near C. The pieces E E are pivotally secured to the uprights C C at their outward The outward ends of E E being opened so as to admit the said uprights centrally, Fig. 6, at their inward ends, they are hollowed out transversely, so as to properly embrace the cable, as shown in Figs. l, 2, 3, and 6.

The piecesE are slotted toward their inner hooked over the inner ends of the pieces E, Y

as shown in Fig.- 3, the upper part being propeily shaped therefor. They arev also pivotally connected to the pieces E, as by the rivets f, Figs. l, 2, and 3, the perforations in the pieces F to receive said rivets being slightly oblong vertically, as shown in Fig. 3, part of the plate E being removed for the purpose.

The pieces F are connected together below and to the upright piece G by the bolt or stud g, Figs. l, 2, and 4. The upright G is centrally mounted in the encircling keepers H and H', which are secured to the front of the car. These keepers are so proportioned inwardly as to permit of a certain movement of the rod G right and left within them, as shown by the relative positions of the rod in Figs. l and 2. The collar g is secured at va proper distance below loop II to the rod G and the rod G has near its lower end the downwardlytapered projection g, Figs. 1 and 2. The

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spring I, bearing with its free end against the upright G on the side opposite the projection g, 1s secured at thc other` end to the body of the car, as shown in Figs. l and 2.

At point-s of departure of cars there is to be mounted the inclined plate J centrally over the track, being inclined downwardly in the direction of travel of the cars and supported by any suitable overhead fixtures, as beams J J, by means 0i' the hinge'j at the upper and boltj at the lower end. The springj is introduced between plate J and beam J for the purpose later explained.

The spring K and the upwardly-inclined piece L, Figs. 4 and 5, may be secured in the ground-tracks when desired. rlhe spring K can bend horizontally and is so mounted, Fig. 5, that its fastened end is entirely out of the line'ot' travel of the lower end of G, (represented by the two dotted lines ZZ, Fig. 5,) while its free end crosses said lines, as clearly shown. j

The incline L may also be of spring material.

The operation is as follows: The carbeing moved along the ground-track till the downwardly-projecting part of G comes in contact with the horizontally-inclined spring K, the spring K being stiffer than the spring I, holding the rod G, the rod G is thrown from left to right, as in Fig. 2, and also as the car advances, elevated by the incline L, against which it immediately afterward strikes, to the position shown in Fig. 2, where it is evident that it the grip has been holding a cable it is now in `position to disengagc, or if. it is'desired to grip the cable it is evident that the cable can enter into the grip, and if the car is advanced, as in Fig. et, so that the upwardlyprojecting ends of the pieces F come in contact with the inclined plate J they and the plates E will be pressed down t0 the position seen in Fig. l. The spring I will then set the rod G over to the left and the projecting part g will project under the loop H and so prevent the rising of the rod G from any cause and necessarily of course of the connecting-pieces F and the plates E. The collar g on the rod G, coming in contact with the loop I-l, prevents the rod Gand plates E being raised more than to a given poiiit. The' object of having the parts K and L of spring material instead ot presenting fixed surfaces is that inequalities in the construction and wear of the parts will not cause them to become inoperative, or, on the other hand, cause undue strains when operating. For the same reason the spring j" is introduced between the plate J andbeam J rather than have said plate secured rigidly to said beam. The hinged connection j ot the other end of the plate to J permits, of course, vertical movement of the operating end of the plate. All the slots in the plate B being made of greater lengt-l1 than that merely required for the parts operating therein, it is evident that the grip can be at first readily adapted to the rope by means of the wedges D and that any wear of the plates E where they grip the rope may be readily compensated for by driving down the wedges and so bringing the plates E E nearer together. The hooked or projecting part of F transmits the pressure of the plate J directly to the plate E, the elongated opening t'or the pin f relieving the said pin of that duty, as shown in Fig. 3.

I contemplate, also, usinginstead of the angle-iron B B' a plate orshelt' representing the projecting leg B of the angle-iron bolted directly to t-he car. It is evident, also, that the spring L could be replaced by a hinged plate similar to the plate J, with the spring j" or its equivalent placed under its elevated or outward end. Y

I-Iaving described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, the following:

l. In a cable-grip, the combination, with a support B B', secured to a car, of the plates E E, pivotally secured thereto and transversely grooved to receive the cable, substantially as set forth.

2. In, a cable-grip, the combination, with a supporting-plate secured to the car and having slots therein, as described, ot' the upright posts C C, passing upwardly through the slots, and the plates E E, pivotally secured to said posts and grooved for the cable on their inner ends, substantially as described.

3. In a cable-grip, the combination, with a supporting-plate secured to the car and having slots therein,as described, of `theupright posts C C, pivotally secured at their lower ends to the car and passing upwardly through said plate, the plates E E,pivotally secured at their outward ends to said posts and grooved at their inner ends to receive the cable, the

wedges D, and set-screws c', substantially as shown and described.

4. In a cable-grip, the combination, with a supporting-plate secured to the car and having slots in it, as described, of the plates E,

mounted thereon, substantiallyas described, of the connecting-pieces F, pivotally secured to said plates E and passing through the plates E and plate B', the pin g,pivotally counecting said pi-eces Fv together `and to the rod G, the rod'G, and the keepers Il and l1 for said rod, substantially as shown and described.

projection g, the keeper Il, the keeper Il',4

grip and operatingsubstantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name, in presence of two Witnesses, this 7th day of October, 1890.

ALFRED I-I. DE CAMP lVitnesses:

CLARENCE A. DE CAMP, SUSAN M. DE CAMP. 

